A radical reframing of the past and present of Black
resistance—both nonviolent and violent—to white supremacy
Black
resistance to white supremacy is often reduced to a simple binary,
between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolence and Malcolm X’s
“by any means necessary.” In We
Refuse, historian Kellie
Carter Jackson urges us to move past this false choice, offering an
unflinching examination of the breadth of Black responses to white
oppression, particularly those pioneered by Black women.
The
dismissal of “Black violence” as an illegitimate form of
resistance is itself a manifestation of white supremacy, a
distraction from the insidious, unrelenting violence of structural
racism. Force—from work stoppages and property destruction to armed
revolt—has played a pivotal part in securing freedom and justice
for Black people since the days of the American and Haitian
Revolutions. But violence is only one tool among many. Carter Jackson
examines other, no less vital tactics that have shaped the Black
struggle, from the restorative power of finding joy in the face of
suffering to the quiet strength of simply walking away.
Clear-eyed,
impassioned, and ultimately hopeful, We
Refuse offers a
fundamental corrective to the historical record, a love letter to
Black resilience, and a path toward liberation.